Boston Bruins make second stop on five-game road trip at Tampa Bay

Tuesday

The Bruins smashed the Lightning, 8-1, when the teams met early this month at TD Garden. Since then, Tampa Bay has played some of the best hockey in the NHL.

Now the Bruins cross from South Florida to Tampa Bay tonight to visit perhaps the hottest team in the NHL in Game 2 of a five-game road stretch.

The Lightning (22-10-5), last on Boston’s radar when they took an 8-1 pummeling on Dec. 2 at TD Garden, have pretty well righted themselves since then. Tampa Bay has picked up points in eight consecutive games (6-0-2), a strong enough stretch to move into first place ahead of Washington and Atlanta in the suddenly competitive Southeast Division. Five of the eight games have gone to overtime.

The Lightning, pretty much a one-line team the first two times they’ve met the B’s, have become much deeper in December. While still led by the incredible 1-2 punch of center Steven Samkos (28-22–50) and right wing Martin St. Louis (14-33–47), who rank 2-3 in league scoring, Tampa Bay has been able to build a second scoring line behind center Vincent Lecavalier (20 games; 6-8–14) and left wing Simon Gagne (18 games, 3-4–7), who have both returned from injuries.

If there’s a flaw in the Lightning’s game, it’s weakness in 5-on-5 situations, where it’s running a 15-goal deficit (65 for; 80 against). Tampa Bay’s special teams have been more than enough to overcome that, though: Through Sunday’s 3-2, overtime victory at Atlanta (Lecavalier scored twice, including the winner), the Lightning ranked third in the NHL on the power play (23.9 percent) and sixth on the penalty kill (84.9). At home, where Tampa is 10-2-2, the numbers are even better: No. 1 in the league on the power play (29.5 percent), No. 2 when shorthanded (88.1).

Season series: The teams have split home games, with Tampa Bay scoring a 3-1 victory on Nov. 22 at home, and Boston answering on Dec. 2 with its most prolific offensive night of the season.

It’s been a series of spurts: Tampa Bay broke open a scoreless home game with three goals against Tuukka Rask in a second-period span of 8:10, while the B’s didn’t really begin to pull away from the Lightning earlier this month until then-linemates David Krejci and Michael Ryder scored unassisted goals in the first 1:50 of a four-goal third period to stretch the Bruins’ lead to 6-1.